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TITLE
«Visual Events in Urban Space» by Pavlos D. Satoglou
ABSTRACT
In this paper, it is attempted the specification of the changes which happened in the 20thcentury (when and by who, on which timeline, what is the present situation) and they have todo with the relation between the work of art and the city, the artist and the viewer, and withthe definition of a work of art.The bibliographical research was divided in two chapters:In the chapter of the historical retrospection, the time, when the changes occurred, was locatedin the active period of the Internationale Situationiste (circa 1960). The prominent avant-guardmovements (Futurism, Dada, Surrealism), that prepared the soil for the situationists and theway they did it, were also studied. These changes were specified (art finds its place in theeveryday life and makes use of its potentiality to intervene, the roles of the artist and theviewer are confounded and interchanged, the work of art is unhooked from material, temporal,commercial limitations and it can be a result of the combination between arts or a result of detournement) and the artistic fashions of happening and street-art were studied, as indicativesamples of movements which were active the same period with the situationists and asubsequent period, respectively. Their research has shown that the happened changes were aneed of that time and that they were accepted from the subsequent artistic movements and theinstituted art world, as well.In the chapter of the case studies, two recent projects were presented, taken from the field of street-art, the «28 Millimètres», by JR (it is about open-air exhibitions of photography, in avariety of cities) and the «EyeWriter», by Graffiti Research Lab (it is about the construction of a system which allows the paralyzed ones to write tags on a computer, with the use of their eyes, and their screening in city walls). Their analysis has shown that although these projectshave references to previous works, they follow the changes, mentioned before. In addition, theexistence of similar projects, which were happened the same period, has shown that this kindof events are a fashion of the present era. The analysis has also shown that the use of technology is increased, leading to new ways of artistic expression, like «eye-art», and aimingto the wider participation of the people. Finally, their wider acceptance (participations in art-festivals, awards etc.) confirms that the occurred changes have been accepted completely.
KEY WORDS
Visual events, avant-guard, futurism, dada, surrealism, situationists, happening, street-art, city,art and society, JR, 28 millimètres, Graffiti Research Lab, EyeWriter
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